Louver-type baffle plate



' May 12, 1925.

E. c. HUTCHINSON LOUVER TYPE BAFFLE PLATE Filed Oct. 21, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY May 12, 1925.

E. C. HUTCHINSON LOUVER TYPE BAFFLE PLATE Filed 001;. 21, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENT R 57 ATTORNEY May 12, 1925.

E. C. HUTCHINSON LOUVER TYPE BAFFLE PLATE Filed Oct. 21, 1924 3 Sheetg-Shget 3 O O O INVEN %7% TTORNEY Patented May 12, 1925..

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ELY C. HUTCHINSON, OF OAKLAND, CALIFGRNIA, ASSIGN'OR TO THE PELTON WATER,

WHEEL 00., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

LOUVER-TYPE BAI FLE I PLATE.

Application filed October 21, 1924. Serial no. 744,953.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ELY G. HU'roHrNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and 6 State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Louver- Type Baffle Plates. of which the following is a specification.

'The present'invention relates to an im- 10 proved form of baffle plate for receiving and deflecting and otherwise absorbing the energy from jets or streams of water impinging upon it, to be used in connection -with hydraulic turbines of the impulse type.

Under normal conditions the power jet is discharged against the buckets of the water wheel runner and so long as the proper relation between the speed of the water wheel runner and the velocity of the water impin 29 ing upon its buckets exists, the water will be 'thrown in a generally backward and downward direction as it discharges from the buckets. However, if the speed of the water wheel runner increases beyond the normal, the jet or stream froin'the power nozzle will be carried forward more or less without particular distortion until. if the extreme were reached and the speed of the water wheel runner became equal to the velocity of the jet, the jet would pass directly through the path of the water wheel runner in an almost solid form. It is necessary, therefore, to provide some means for effectively absorbing the energy of a discharging jet, or those portions of the same 'which may carry beyond the wheel and which. if not controlled, might do serious damage to life or property. The generally accepted method for controlling and absorbing the energy from the power and relief jets has been to discharge them into a vortex baffle or similar battle but its location in the wheel pit haseifectively blocked a considerable area, or avenue of discharge of the power water; A

The present invention has for its main object to provide a type of baffle which will effectively receive and absorb the energy from the discharging power and relief jets "while offering little or no obstruction to the flow of water away from, the Wheel pit.

within the housing 4. runner is also provided with a cover 5, the same being held in any suitable manner. 6 is the wheel pit in which the lower portion wheel runner.

With the above mentioned and other ob; ects in view, the invention consistsin the novel bafiie and in its combination with the water wheel and its jet nozzles as hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings and set forth in the claims hereto annexed, it being understood that various changes inform, proportion. size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Fig.1 is a side view, partly in section, the end frame piece of the baflle being broken away. l

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view enlarged of Fig. 1 taken on line 2-2 and looking in the direction of the arrow. 4

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the baffle.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the baffle.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the baffle. v In the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts, 1 indicates the water wheel runner which carries on its periphery the buckets, one bucket only being here shown for convenience, and designated by 2. The water wheel runner is carried upon the overhanging shaft SInounted in suitable bearings The water wheel of the wheel runner lies. Through one side and within the wheel pit protrude the water jet nozzles 7 and 8, one above the other. The upper nozzle 7 discharges power water upon the wheel bucket 2, thus rotating the water The lower nozzle 8 is for therelief jet and is so arranged that it opens as the power jet is shut off, thusaffording a relief to the pipe-line againstthe danger of water hammer. The above mentioned elements are well known in the art of hydraulic turbines of the impulse type.

The invention claimed to be new in this application consists primarily inthe bafile herein indicated as a whole by 9. This bafile is disposed at one end of the water pit 6 opposite to and in direct line with the power and relief nozzles 7 and 8, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings; The water ejected from these nozzles upon striking the baiiie plate will be forced downward due to the construction of said battle. The battle consists in its best form of a column or columns of laterally curved spaced plates 10 successively overlapping and disposed at a downwardly retreating angle, said plates being carried between and supported by frame members 11, to which they are secured'by rivets 11. The plates 10 by reason of their overlapping louver-wise, and their downwardly retreating angle deflect the water impinging upon them in a downward direction. The baffle may be mounted in any suitable manner, a convenient'and effective way being as follows. To the vertical frame plates 11 at their upper ends are riveted as at 12 the angle brackets 13. Riveted or otherwise at- V tached to said brackets are the bolts let which pass between the spaced channel irons 15 and are secured thereto by means of the washer l6 and the locking nuts 17 and 17. The channel ironsare' separated by means of the bolts 18, and are held in position by both ends being embedded in the concrete of the wheel pit. v To enable'the battle to resist the direct impact pressure of the jets, the frame plates 11 are also provided with angle brackets 19 Fig. 5. 'Riveted or otherwise attached; to said brackets are the tie bolts 20, which pass between the spaced channel irons 21, the ends of which are embedded in the side walls of'ithe wheel pit. The bolts 20 are secured to said channel irons 21 by means of the washers 23 and the locknuts 24 and 24: To further secure the necessary rigidity of the battle in' this direction, there are provided the I-beams 25 between the channel irons, and the rear edges of the frame plates 11.

As heretofore intimated the generally accepted method for controlling and absorbing the energy from the power and relief nozzle streams in which the water discharging from one power plant empties directly into an after bay o-r pond, which forms the collecting basin for another power plant below. As it is desirable to conserve as much as possible of the head on fall of water from one plant'to another, it becomes imperative that the design of the water wheel equipment shall be such as to reduce the loss of head to a minimum. This the present baffle accomplishes by effectively receiving and absorbing the energy from the discharging water jets while offering little or no obstruction to the flow of water away from the wheel jet. The curved plates are spacedand relatively disposed in such manner as to offer no open area of free discharge through which a jet impinging upon it might continue onward in its original direction; that is, jets or streams of water discharging against the battle with some force will be received and separated into a number of parts, each of which will be diverted in a generally downward direction. On the other hand, water discharging, normally from the water wheel runner into the wheel pit and moving away from the wheel pit at normal velocity will meet with'a minimum resistance to its norlapping and disposed at a downwardly retreating angle relatively to the pressure directed against them; frame members to g V which the ends of said plates are secured;

and means associated with said frame members for rigidly holding the baffle in place;

' 4. A baffle comprising a column of laterally curved, spacedplates successively overlapping and disposed at a downwardly retreating angle relatively to the pressure directed against them; frame members to i which the ends of said plates are secured; means associated with said frame members for rigidly holding the battle in place; compressing suspending devices applied to the top of said frame members; and compression devices app-lied to the backs of said frame members.- r

5. In combination with a hydraulic tur b ine, a base supporting the same andprovided with a pit, a jet nozzle, a battle comprising a column of spaced plates successively overlapping and disposed at a down- -wardly retreating angle relatively tothe jet directed against them; and means for rigidly fixing said column in said turbine pit in opposition tothe jetimpact;

6. In combination with a hydraulic turbine, a base'therefor and provided with a pit, a 'jet nozzle, a baffle comprising a column of laterally curved spaced plates suc cessively overlapping and disposed at a downwardly retreating angle relatively to disposed at a downwardly retreating angle the jet directed against them; and means for relatively to the liquid jet stream, and means rigidly fixing said column in said turbine for rigidly fixing the baflie in the path of 10 pit in opposition to the jet impact. the stream. 5 7. A baffle for absorbing the energy of a In testimony whereof I have signed my liquid jet stream, comprising a series of name to this specification.

spaced plates successively overlapping and ELY C. HUTCHINSON. 

